Monday, November 19, 2018

6 Years (2015)



Movie Name/Year: 6 Years (2015)
Tagline: None
Genre: Drama, Romance
Length: 85 minutes
Rating: NR
Production Companies: Duplass Brothers Productions, Arts+Labor
Producers: Scott Colquitt, Jonathan Duffy, Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass, Andrew Logan, Malina Panovich, Kelly Williams
Director: Hannah Fidell
Writer: Hannah Fidell
Actors: Taissa Farmiga, Ben Rosenfield, Lindsay Burdge, Joshua Leonard, Jennifer Lafleur, Peter Vack, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Molly McMichael

Blurb from Netflix: As a volatile young couple who have been together for six years approach college graduation, unexpected career opportunities threaten their future.


As much as I like to geek out over familiar faces in movies, it’s always a refreshing change to see new faces. Such introductions are something independent films are known for. In this case, I got the best of both worlds. I have really enjoyed the work of Taissa Farmiga (The Bling Ring, Anna, The Nun); and Ben Rosenfield (Louder Than Words, Affluenza, Indignation) was a pleasant surprise.

Their performances and their chemistry were at the very heart of the movie. I couldn’t find fault with either, to be honest. It wasn’t that I was looking for faults, really. It was just that I was so bored and annoyed by the story and events of the movie that it just didn’t have enough going for it outside of that.

My issue wasn’t even believability – I definitely wasn’t looking side-eyed at the screen over anything like that. In fact, the film felt raw and real for the most part. I was surprised to learn that there wasn’t a script – just scene outlines containing general information for scope and visuals. This means that it was largely an improv piece. That’s impressive on some level. Still wasn’t enough to save it for me.


Maybe this was an issue of timing. I really have to be in a particular mood to get the most out of a drama, and sometimes even a romance. This romantic drama should have its genre in all caps. All the melodrama just did a Flamenco dance all over my nerves. It was appropriate for the film, to a point. The lead characters are at that junction of their lives that they’re having to suck it up and make adult decisions at the cusp of college graduation. They’re young enough for emotions to be flying while they try to cope with the stress of their changing lives – and old enough to have the independence that tempts so many choices for good or ill.


That sort of life rollercoaster is just exhausting to me. Seeing a whole movie of it was rather draining, in fact. Unfortunately, I don’t think I could recommend this film for anything other than a cure for insomnia. Hardcore fans of intense and emotionally charged romantic drama might feel differently. 


Languages
Speech Available: English, Polish, English (Audio Description)
Subtitles Available: English [CC], French, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 64%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 34%
Metascore - 53%
Metacritic User Score – 6.2/10
IMDB Score – 5.6/10

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 2.5/5

Trust the Dice Parental Advisory Rating: R

Movie Trailer: